“Nightmares” is episode six of season one of Extant.
In the previous episode, “What on Earth Is Wrong?” Molly and John got proof that Molly was pregnant. And that the second DNA in the baby was neither John’s, not human. In addition, a filter during the time on the Seraphim when Molly thought she saw Marcus showed a swirl of glowing particles enfolding her.
Molly is still watching the footage when John comes in. John doesn’t know what it is. Molly says it used her to get to Earth. Yes, the sonogram looked human, but how can what’s shown create a human? Then Ethan screams. He seems to be having a nightmare. Which John says is impossible; he’s not programmed to dream. Molly explains dreams to Ethan. John wants to go to the lab, but Ethan wants Molly to lie with him.
Dr Henry Meehan passes through security and decontamination to get in the lab where they have the foetus they took from Molly. Another fills him in; Meehan says he looks a little pale. Just drained. The second slaps the back of his head, where the recurring pattern briefly appears.
A report from the current astronaut onboard the Seraphim, Glass, is watched at the ISEA. Afterwards, Kern tells Sparks they should bring him down. They got what they wanted with Molly, so there’s no reason to keep Glass there. Sooner or later, he will have an encounter. Sparks says it’s not his call. When Kern asks whose it is, Sparks just tells him he was late. And to get some sleep; he looks terrible. Then Sparks gets a call from the lab.
Sparks heads to the facility. The second doctor, Calder, has locked the place down with only him and Meehan inside. Calder is talking to something unseen. Then he smashes the cameras. When they get in, he’s smashed Meehan too. And tells them to hush; he’s sleeping.
John removes something from the ear of one of the robots. He heads to see Molly and Ethan. John wants Ethan to come to the lab; they have to tell everyone about his dream. After Ethan leaves, John says they are years away from being able to program REM sleep. It might be Ethan doing it to override the damage caused by the shutdown on the island. True dreams are just the beginning.
What John took from the robot’s ear he explains is how Ethan hears. It can be used to send information to Molly’s phone. They can use it to spy on Sam, and find out what Sparks has on her. Maybe Sam knows what happened to the baby.
At the lab, Charlie is told about Ethan’s dream. He’s impressed. Julie is late, apparently for the first time. She’s working out on a bag. The man who follows her says he’s terrible. She realises he has an artificial arm, gesturing at her legs. She also fixes his arm. She was on the team that designed it. They make better joints now. Give her a call.
Molly bumps into Sam, using this as a way of sticking the item onto Sam’s hand. Kern is filling in Sparks on Calder’s behaviour. There’s no explanation for what happened. Except for the symbol appearing on Calder’s head. The same one sent from the Aruna. No-one else has seen the footage from the lab and Sparks wants it wiped. Kern is concerned about the foetus’ power. If it can do this now, what happens when it gets stronger. Then they get a report that Molly was speaking to Sam.
Sparks heads to see Sam. Sam guesses Molly wanted to apologise. Molly is listening in. Sam tells Sparks he got what he wanted; Molly thinks she’s crazy. And Sam can’t keep lying to her. Sparks tells Sam she hasn’t got a choice.
Kern heads to something that looks like it can only be described as being a legal drug parlour. Whilst he’s unconscious, Kryger copies Kern’s fingerprints, removes his own and has Kern’s put in their place. Using the prints to get into the ISEA. When Kern returns, that triggers an alarm.
Sparks and Kern knew about the symbol earlier. Ethan is having nightmares about it. Kryger has seen it. It appeared on Calder’s head and Molly’s stomach. Clearly, it’s more than just a symbol.